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The crank-up stage to the summer thunderstorm season took its most dramatic step here Wednesday, with lightning, high winds and a bit of rain giving the parched, hot desert a taste of what's to come.

"We're not in the full monsoon yet, but we're seeing the moisture levels gradually increase enough to get thunderstorms going," said Bill Turner, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The official reading at Tucson International Airport was 0.01 of an inch by 9 p.m., the first measurable rain since May 22.

"Most places are a tenth (of an inch) or less, sprinkles, and that's typical of this early period," Turner said. "What we get is a bunch of dust and wind. Until the moisture gets deeper, we won't get those meaningful, wetting rains."

More than 2,000 lightning strikes were detected in Southern Arizona on Wednesday, and winds gusted as high as 45 mph. Highway visibility was reduced to a quarter mile for a time on Interstate 19.

The dew point at the airport registered 60 degrees late Wednesday evening. The historical definition of the monsoon's start in Tucson was three consecutive days with an average dew point of 54 degrees or greater. The start of the monsoon is now considered to be June 15 every year.

"The thinking is we're going to do this for a couple days," Turner said. "Toward the weekend the high (pressure system) will start moving and shut things down a little bit. Eventually, towards July, the high will move north and the moisture will have access to us."

The National Weather Service calls for a 10 percent chance of rain today and tonight. A slight chance of rain remains overnight Friday into Saturday and Saturday night. Hot and dry conditions are forecast for Sunday, with a high of 105.

Wednesday's Tucson high of 102 ended a record-tying streak for the month of June of 11 days with a high 106 or greater.